CSU Budget Challenges

02-07-2011

Chancellor Charles Reed at the State Capitol

On Feb. 7, 2011, the leaders of California’s three higher education systems—CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed, UC President Mark Yudof, and Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott—convened at the state Capitol to speak out about the combined $1.4 billion cut for their systems and the impact the cuts would have on the state.

The California economy depends on the CSU, the UC and the community colleges, Reed said. “We are the engine of economic recovery and economic development,” he remarked, noting that the future of California was at risk.

“We raised tuition 10 percent in November, and I don’t plan on doing it again,” Reed stated; however, that would depend on the proposed revenue enhancements passing in June. If they fail, and “the whole bottom falls out of everything, we’ll have to come back and revisit that,” Reed said.

He said that the CSU budget will be $2.2 billion, the same as in 1998—but the CSU is serving 70,000 more students than it did back then.